You are all bad women! Don't come over!

Nightfall had descended and the sky had darkened as Xia Qingrou ordered some items online again and prepared to ride her motorbike to pick up the package.

Shen Mochen noted the dimming light outside and, knowing that Xia Qingrou was reckless with the accelerator, he offered to collect the package for her.

But this time, Xia Qingrou declined his offer, insisting on getting it herself. Shen Mochen couldn't do anything about it, so he let her have her way.

"This package for Sister Xia must be related to Shen, right?"

In the living room, Liu Chaoyan stretched her arms above her head, half lazy, half elegant, her eyes slightly squinted like a playful kitten.

Liu Chaoyan was not the prettiest in team 0819, but her every move—be it a nod with a smile or a contemplative frown—was like a series of perfect artistic portraits, vividly displaying the beauty of a young girl.

Sometimes, Shen Mochen felt that Liu Chaoyan was not a living person, but an animated character made from numerous artistic portraits.

Could someone naturally be like this?

"Captain, do you know what's in it?" Shen Mochen withdrew his admiring gaze.

"I don't know, but, I guess Sister Xia didn't let you go because she wants to surprise you, so she didn't want you to see it in advance."

Liu Chaoyan's smile was half-closed, easy and serene, like a mirror.

Shen Mochen dared not meet Liu Chaoyan's gaze and said with a laugh, "Haha, then I'm quite looking forward to it."

He had always been a bit apprehensive about making eye contact with Liu Chaoyan. It wasn't just because he didn't want her to remember his embarrassing moments from childhood; it was also because her eyes were too calm, like an unfathomable lake.

And that calm surface was like a mirror, always able to see through everyone's secrets. Even on the rare occasions when their eyes met, Shen Mochen quickly moved his gaze away.

Liu Chaoyan smiled faintly, then suddenly shifted to an unrelated topic, "Shen, you saw Han Muxue's parents today, right?"

"Yes," Shen Mochen nodded.

Liu Chaoyan's question was entirely unnecessary; she had been there when Shen Mochen met Han Muxue's parents and had even introduced them.

Sipping her water, Liu Chaoyan appeared casual as she asked, "So, what do you think of Muxue's parents?"

Shen Mochen cautiously spoke, "Well, they seemed like very ordinary people... I didn't get enough time to really get a sense of them."

At least half of his response was true; he had indeed only spoken briefly with Muxue's parents before she called them away.

Liu Chaoyan smiled, shaking her head gently, "Think about it again? Shen, you grew up in the north; you should be quite good at reading people."

Shen Mochen fell silent for a moment, considering that Liu Chaoyan might be a tougher person to deal with than Catherine, or rather, she was harder to fool.

"They're not very likable. They seemed insincere and sycophantic. But perhaps I'm just being cynical, since Muxue called them away before we could talk much."

After a moment, Shen Mochen answered.

His first impression of the couple was not good at all.

When they hadn't yet gotten out of the car, he saw through the car window that the two who had been arguing a bit immediately changed their demeanor and intimately intertwined when they saw the car arriving.

Of course, if it was just that, Shen Mochen might have understood it as the two not wanting Han Muxue to worry about their private matters, but their behavior after getting out of the car became even stranger.

The obsequious expressions they showed to Liu Chaoyan were not ones typical parents might have upon meeting their daughter's friend. Even if Liu Chaoyan was a Family heiress, achieving this degree of flattery was rare.

Looking at their expressions at the time, they seemed as if they wanted nothing more than to kneel down and kiss Liu Chaoyan's shoes.

Such expressions were not uncommon at the lower levels of society, but there was always a mercenary purpose behind them.

The most unpleasing aspect was their behavior as parents towards their daughter—it was overly strange; they scurried about obediently as if ordered by Han Muxue, as though she wasn't their daughter but their boss.

Although Shen Mochen's parents had died early (although his mother was not yet dead, in his heart it was as though she were), it did not mean he was wholly unfamiliar with the pattern of parent-child relationships; as a child, he too had been on the receiving end of his father's slaps.

In short, Han Muxue's parents were very abnormal, exuding sleaziness all over.

After listening to Shen Mochen, Liu Chaoyan slightly lowered her brow with a smile and did not respond to Shen Mochen's characterization of Han Muxue's parents, only softly saying, "Indeed, who would want to expose their own shortcomings to others?"

Shen Mochen was momentarily startled before he realized that the other party was just responding to his last statement: "We hadn't spoken a few words before Muxue asked them to leave."

Shen Mochen paused, then suddenly saw Liu Chaoyan pull out a small toy from her pocket, about three to four centimeters long, made of purple plastic. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a small bear, albeit missing one ear.

"This is…"

"I found it on the road. Is it nice?" Liu Chaoyan said, offering it to Shen Mochen with a smile.

Shen Mochen chuckled, "Why pick this up? It's not even anything good, it's lost an ear. I could buy you a bunch of these for a few bucks."

Liu Chaoyan tilted her head, put the little bear back in her pocket, and subdued her smile, "You can't say that. Although it's cheap, it might be someone's cherished possession."

"That must be something someone didn't want and threw away!"

"Possibly, but discarding it might not be because the person didn't want it—there might be some other reason. They might regret it later and want it back." Liu Chaoyan smiled warmly, "I'll keep it for her for now; I'll give it back to her if she regrets it later."

From Liu Chaoyan's tone, it seemed she knew the person, and Shen Mochen might know them too.

Shen Mochen paused for a moment, guessing what it might be.

"I haven't seen this thing." Shen Mochen said.

"Hmm, perhaps you just forgot," Liu Chaoyan said with a smile, stretching out her hand to tap Shen Mochen's chest, "After all, Shen classmate is a person both unfeeling and forgetful."

Shen Mochen furrowed his brow, unsure of her meaning.

"How am I unfeeling and forgetful?" Shen Mochen seriously asked.

"Cough, cough, I was just rambling, Shen classmate, please don't take it to heart!" Liu Chaoyan coughed, then turned around, "I'll go back to my room then. If possible, could you be gentle tonight?"

Shen Mochen stared blankly at her figure, as clear and pure as a white lotus, his gaze flickering.

"By the way, in the fairy tales I often read as a child, bad children always received punishment in the end." Liu Chaoyan, upon reaching the bedroom corridor, turned her head once more to give Shen Mochen a charming smile, "Shen classmate, could you be a bad child?"